Voice Compare: Shrek - King Harold | Behind The Voice Actors John Cleese EDITOR'S OPINION For most of his appearances , English comedian John Cleese lends his voice to the King. John's voice is instantly recognizeable, and manages to hit a lot of angles of the character. He successfully portrays humour, a caring nature, frustration and the overall ineptitude that comes with being a father. Michael J. Gough - who already voices Shrek in the vast majority of non-movie appearances - shows off his range and versatility when he took over King Harold for the video game based on the second film . I don't often hear impressions of John Cleese, but I have to say that Michael's...pretty good. Not great, but pretty good. There's times I hear him start to get close to his Shrek voice (minus the Scottish accent), so it kind of takes me out. I can't not vote for John in this case. TylerMirage Shrek 2 (2004) Shrek 2 (2004) d.

Andrew Adamson, 88 minutes Film Plot Summary A large, stylized fairytale book was opened, as in the previous original film, and the text was read outloud (in voice-over) as the leaves of the pages turned: Once upon a time in a kingdom far, far away, the king and queen were blessed with a beautiful baby girl. And throughout the land, everyone was happy...until the sun went down and they saw that their daughter was cursed with a frightful enchantment that took hold each and every night. Desperate, they sought the help of a fairy godmother who had them lock the young princess away in a tower, there to await the kiss of the handsome Prince Charming. It was he who would chance the perilous journey through blistering cold and scorching desert traveling for many days and nights, risking life and limb to reach the Dragon's keep. For he was the bravest, and most handsome in all the land. And it was destiny that his kiss would break the dreaded curse.

Effeminate, narcissistic Prince Charming (voice of Rupert Everett) rode out of one of the pages to the castle, where he approached the highest room in the tallest tower to enter the Princess' chambers to kiss her. In the Princess' place, he was surprised to find the Big Bad Wolf (dressed in grandmother's clothing) reclining in bed, reading Pork Illustrated. Princess Fiona (voice of Cameron Diaz) was on her honeymoon after marrying Shrek (voice of Mike Myers), shown in a home video to the tune of "Accidentally in Love" by Counting Crows, as they arrived at Hansel's Honeymoon Hideway, a gingerbread house, and he carried her over the threshold. In a montage of scenes, they enjoyed a picnic basket of drumsticks by the beach, kissed in the surf From Here to Eternity (1953) style, although Shrek actually ended up kissing The Little Mermaid (1989) (who was thrown back into the ocean by Fiona and consumed by sharks as in Jaws (1975)).

He presented her with a ring (forged and tossed into the air a la The Lord of the Rings trilogy) engraved: "I LOVE YOU." Although they were blissfully in love, they were ostracized and chased by fearful villagers, which Fiona defensively fought off - she then kissed Shrek upside-down (a reference to Spider-Man (2002)). They took a mud-bath together, with the captured light of Tinkerbells in jars. They returned from their honeymoon to Shrek's swamp abode, where the Donkey (voice of Eddie Murphy) awaited them, claiming that he had taken care of their "love nest." The newlyweds asked for privacy and time to be together without Donkey's presence. Shrek and Princess Fiona were summoned, by a fanfare of the Hawaii 5-0 Theme Song, to the Kingdom of Far, Far Away "for a royal ball" in celebration of their marriage. Fiona's parents, King Harold (voice of John Cleese) and Queen Lillian (voice of Julie Andrews), were to bestow the King's royal blessing upon them.

Although Shrek was extremely reluctant ("Somehow I don't think I'll be welcome at the country club"), calling it a "bad idea," Fiona eventually convinced him to participate (with Donkey also accompanying them, singing the theme from the TV show Rawhide as they departed). During the long journey in their "Just Married" onion carriage, the bored Donkey repeatedly and annoyingly asked, "Are we there yet?", and entertained himself by making obnoxious clicking noises.

When they entered Far, Far Away (a parody of Hollywood/Beverly Hills, seen in the hillside sign) to the tune of "Funkytown" performed by Lipps, Inc., they entered the castle gates (the Paramount Studios archway), where Donkey remarked: "It's gonna be champagne wishes and caviar dreams from now on." They passed Farbucks Coffee, Burger Prince, Versarchery, a billboard advertising the Fairy Godmother, Baskin Robinhood, Old Knavery, Tower of London Records, Gap Queen, Banana Kingdom, a film poster for Lethal Arrow, the gated homes of Rapunzel and Cinderella, and then were met by a cheering crowd at the castle entrance, where their red-carpet arrival was awaited by the King and Queen. Doves were released as they stepped from their carriage - and revealed that they were both ogres, causing the fanfare and cheering to abruptly stop. The scene was punctuated with the crashing of a distracted dove into a castle wall. They were greeted with audible gasps, as Shrek asked Fiona: "So, you still think this was a good idea?...We came, we saw them.

Now let's go before they light the torches." The King was especially repulsed, believing that he had sent Prince Charming to rescue his daughter by kissing her and breaking the spell. Shrek crudely joked nervously: "Well, it's easy to see where Fiona gets her good looks from." As the group ate a formal dinner together (inspired by Meet the Parents (2000)), Shrek and Fiona belched, and then realized how inappropriate they were. Donkey joined them, claiming he was the "noble steed" that helped rescue Fiona from the Dragon. Shrek tried to cover over the fact that he lived in a swamp, and choked when the Queen said: "I suppose that would be a fine place to raise the children" -- young ogre grandchildren. As they dug into their food, a dinner of roast pig and giant lobsters, Shrek and King Harold argued with each other over their child-rearing methods -- Harold accused Shrek of possibly eating his own young, while Shrek replied that Harold hadn't done much better - he had locked his daughter away in a dragon-guarded castle tower. Disgusted, Fiona stomped away from the table and locked herself in her chambers for the evening.

Her falling tears brought her Fairy Godmother (voice of Jennifer Saunders) to her side, who remarked on how Fiona was "all grown up." She sang the "Fairy Godmother Song" (a bouncy parody of "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast (1991)) in which she promised: "I'm here to make it all better" with a wave of her magic wand, predicting that Fiona could land a handsome Prince with cash, a high-priced dress, crystal-glass pumps (Fiona's dress blew up like the infamous Marilyn Monroe pose from The Seven Year Itch (1955)), a sporty carriage with a sexy chauffeur, and an end to blemishes, tooth decay, and cellulite thighs with a 'nip and tuck" - all to acquire a "prince with rock-hard abs." Shrek was ready to pack and leave immediately, feeling unwelcome. Harold remained upset over Fiona's choice of Shrek, rather than Prince Charming that had been "picked" for her: "Our daughter has married a monster." Harold was whisked off in the Fairy Godmother's carriage for a quick visit, during which time he was also accosted by her son Prince Charming.

The prince retold the story of his adventures, with many obstacles in his way, to the room high in the tower to kiss and rescue Fiona, but found a "gender-confused wolf" telling him that the princess was already married. At the Friar's Fat Boy drive-in, they ordered a Medieval Meal and other food items, and then continued their conversation. She reminded Harold that he had broken their deal that they had made earlier, about how Charming would marry Fiona. Harold was to use his 'imagination' somehow to get rid of Shrek. In the next scene set at nighttime at The Poison Apple, a hooded King Harold entered the tavern where Captain Hook played the piano and sang "Little Drop of Poison." He spoke to the transvestite Ugly Stepsister Doris (voice of Larry King) behind the bar, about 'taking care of' an ogre problem - and was recommended to an assassin. In the shadows of a back room, Harold engaged the "valuable services" of the Spanish-accented swashbuckler killer, later revealed to be Puss In Boots (voice of Antonio Banderas).

Shrek and Fiona slept together in the castle, to the tune of "I Need Some Sleep" performed by Eels. Restless, Shrek awoke, found Fiona's illustrated childhood diary, and read - with increasing worry - about how her mother promised that when she was older, she would be rescued by Prince Charming from the castle tower - "and we'll all live happily ever after. Mrs. Fiona Charming. Mrs. Fiona Charming. Mrs. Fiona Charming.... (repeated)." King Harold interrupted by knocking on the bedroom door, where he apologized to Shrek for his "despicable behavior" - and invited Shrek to join him on a morning hunt. Shrek and Donkey were to meet him at an oak tree at 7:30 in the morning - but it was a trap. They were confronted by Zorro-like, sword-wielding Puss In Boots with boots and a feathered hat. After the clawed creature attacked Shrek, he burst out of his sweater (an homage to Alien (1979)), carved the letter P with three strokes of his sword into a tree, but then suffered an upchucking hairball episode.

[Note: Banderas played Zorro in The Mask of Zorro (1998).] Donkey proposed: "Take the sword and neuter him. Give him the Bob Barker treatment." Puss In Boots pleaded with them, explaining how he was hired for gold by the King to do away with them - "Dad's royal blessing" - Shrek sarcastically quipped. Although he doubted Fiona's love for him: "I just wish I could make her happy" - he then had an idea. They would summon the Fairy Godmother, with one of Donkey's sad tear drops, but when she responded with only an answering machine message, they decided to go on a quest to meet her in person. Puss accompanied them, obliged to save Shrek's life as his own life had been spared. When Fiona awoke and realized that Shrek had opened her diary and then left, she attempted to seek her father for assistance. He claimed he had always been thinking about what was best for his daughter and then suggested: "maybe you should do the same." Later, Fiona confessed that she had to set things right, and proposed leaving to find Shrek and then return to the swamp where they belonged together.

But as she left, she fainted... The trio of Puss, Donkey, and Shrek arrived at the Fairy Godmother's cottage, where she produced hexes and potions for the whole kingdom. They bypassed the Receptionist and snuck into the potion production factory, and then spied upon the Fairy Godmother herself, who was concocting a new love potion: "A drop of desire..a pinch of passion, and just a hint of lust!" She suggested that Fiona was unhappy (and wasn't living "happily ever after") because - unlike all the other traditional fairy tales (including a mention of Pretty Woman (1990)), she had married an ogre: "Ogres don't live happily ever after." Donning a factory worker uniform, Shrek (and his pals) snuck into the Potion Room and procured a vial of "Happily Ever After" potion (to restore Fiona's love) from a tall case, after Puss used a Mission: Impossible technique of cutting a round circle in the security glass. To the tune of "Ever Fallen in Love" performed by Pete Yorn, they escaped, while destroying the factory in their wake.

Shrek poured a giant cauldron of potion all over the factory employees as they fled (two of them were transformed into Lumiere and Cogsworth from Beauty and the Beast (1991)). The Fairy Godmother discovered the missing vial, and cunningly thought to herself: "I do believe we can make this work to our advantage." The potion's vial promised: "Beauty Divine" - so both Donkey and Shrek took a drink, and a sudden rainstorm occurred. In a cottage where they sought shelter, Donkey promised that they would feel better the next day, while singing "Tomorrow," and they fell into a deep sleep. The next morning -- Shrek realized he had been transformed into a handsome man (fawned over by eager young milkmaids), and Donkey was now a dashing white stallion. The instructions on the vial bottle specified: "To make the effects of this potion permanent, the drinker must obtain his true love's kiss by midnight." Shrek warned: "Look out, Princess.

Here comes the new me." Shrek rode his Donkey-stallion to the castle, to the tune of "Changes," performed by Butterfly Boocher (David Bowie), where the magic potion had also transformed Fiona back into her human self. The Fairy Godmother intercepted and blocked Shrek from seeing Fiona, and directed her son Prince Charming to pose as Shrek. She then urged Shrek to let Fiona be happy with "pretty boy" Charming ("She's finally found the prince of her dreams") by letting her go: "If you really love her, you'll let her go." To the tune of "People Ain't No Good," performed by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Shrek and his pals went drinking at the tavern to commiserate. Puss sat dejectedly at the bar: "I hate Mondays" (a reference to cartoon cat Garfield's favorite phrase).

Worried that Fiona wasn't warming up to Charming, King Harold met with the Fairy Godmother and her son in the backroom of the tavern, proposing to call the whole scheme off: "You can't force someone to fall in love." The Fairy Godmother had an alternative idea - she gave Harold another love potion for Fiona to drink, and promised - "she'll fall in love with the first man she kisses - which will be Charming." [She threatened the reluctant Harold to comply, warning that she could take away his own "happily ever after" spell if he didn't - a plot twist to be revealed in the conclusion.] Conveniently, Shrek and his pals overheard the conversation, but were discovered and pursued. That evening, the Far, Far Away Royal Ball was held, and people gathered for the red-carpet arrivals (reminiscent of the Oscars), announced by Joan Rivers (Herself) for E (E! Entertainment): she noted Hansel and Gretel, Tom Thumb and Thumbelina, Sleeping Beauty, and the Fairy Godmother.

The Magic Mirror broadcast the show, being watched by a group of Shrek's friends in Shrek's swamp abode: the Gingerbread (or Gingy) Man, Pinocchio, the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Blind Mice, and the Three Little Pigs. They flipped the channel to a show called KNIGHTS ("We got a white bronco heading east into the forest. Requesting backup" - a reference to the OJ Simpson police chase, but with a real horse), (a parody of the TV show Cops), and were amazed to watch footage of the arrest of Shrek and his pals by royal guards (Puss was charged with possession of catnip), and imprisonment in a dungeon. Before the ball, King Harold brought tea to Fiona, laced with the new love potion.

At first, she refused to attend the ceremony, because the "new Shrek" (narcissistic Prince Charming) didn't act like her real husband Shrek: "I'd give anything to have him back." To the accompaniment of the theme song from "Mission: Impossible," Shrek's friends freed the trio from the dungeon, by lowering Pinocchio into the hole and having him tell a lie about his thong underwear - extending his nose so that the Gingerbread Man could unlock their handcuffs. Shrek's plan was to consult with the Muffin Man with a Bakery on Drury Lane, and create a giant Gingerbread Man (named Mongo) (a parody of Ghostbusters (1984) and Blazing Saddles (1974)): "It's alive!" (a reference to Frankenstein (1931)). Mongo (with Shrek on his shoulder) (voice of Conrad Vernon) marched to the castle, to crash the party and to presumably stop Prince Charming from kissing Fiona.

At the ball, the Fairy Godmother magically donned a sequined red dress, and delivered a cabaret-styled rendition of "Holding Out For a Hero" while the couple danced, atop a piano (in homage to The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)). Mongo lost his arms and crumbled apart in the watery moat (he moaned bitterly to his smaller counterpart, "Be Good" - reminiscent of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)), as they stormed the castle, and Donkey-stallion rode into the ball carrying Shrek. With the help of his friends, the wand was snatched from the Fairy Godmother, who then ordered Charming: "She's taken the potion. Kiss her now!" - but his kiss had no effect, and Fiona head-butted Charming to knock him out. King Harold admitted that he had deliberately given Fiona the wrong tea cup, and then with his armored body, self-sacrificially blocked a spell cast from the Fairy Godmother's wand aimed at Shrek. The spell rebounded off his armor and struck the Fairy Godmother, disintegrating her.

Although everyone thought that King Harold "croaked" - he actually had been returned to his true form as the Frog Prince. He apologized, now realizing that his daughter Fiona already had the "best" - in the form of Shrek, and gave the couple his blessing for their marriage. [Lillian had been the Princess who had kissed him and made him a human.] As the clock struck midnight, Shrek and Fiona had the opportunity to choose whether to remain as humans or ogres. She told him: "I want what any princess wants. To live happily ever after, with the ogre I married." With the final chime, they reverted back to being ogres, along with Donkey (Shrek told his pal: "You still look like a noble steed to me.") Donkey and Puss took the stage to sing "Livin' La Vida Loca" (with Puss' homage to the chair water-dousing from Flashdance (1983)) as the party resumed.

In the midst of the credits, as the party was winding down, Donkey sang "All By Myself" by himself on stage -- he was greeted by his Dragon girlfriend -- and his six dragon-donkey hybrid babies: "Look at our little mutant babies." As the screen went black, he said to himself: "I got to get a job." Film Notables (Awards, Facts, etc.) With a production budget of $150 million, and box-office gross receipts of $441 million (domestic) and $920 million (worldwide). In 2011, it remained the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Shrek 2 (2004) was the highest-grossing film of the series of four Shrek films. Shrek 2 (2004) was the highest-grossing film of 2004, surpassing Spider-Man 2 (2004) at $373.5 million.

PG-rated Shrek II topped G-rated Finding Nemo (2003) in two ways: it was the biggest opening ever for an animated film, and in a little over three weeks became the highest-grossing animated film of all-time, at $441 million. Shrek (2001) and its lucrative sequel, its most successful film to date, helped DreamWorks' animation division to be successfully spun off as its own unit. With two Academy Awards nominations: Best Animated Feature Film, and Best Original Song ("Accidentally in Love").

With numerous pop-cultural references, movie references, one-liners, visual gags and spoofs that parodied Hollywood and fairytales: Far, Far Away (Hollywood), Burger Prince (Burger King), Farbucks (Starbucks), Versarchery (Versace), Olde Knavery (Old Navy), Saxon Fifth Avenue (Saks Fifth Avenue), Gap Queen (Gap Kids), Tower of London Records (Tower Records), Friar's Fat Boy (Big Boy), Baskin Robinhood (Baskin Robbins), Banana Kingdom (Banana Republic), Marilyn Monroe's infamous pose from The Seven Year Itch (1955) - when Fiona's dress blows up, Meet the Parents (2000), Ghostbusters (1984), Mission: Impossible (1996), Alien (1979), Flashdance (1983), The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), Spider-Man (2002), From Here To Eternity (1953), The Little Mermaid (1989) and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and even more, such as Joan Rivers' red-carpet appearance, and the TV show Cops (parodied as KN

IGHTS).

Shrek Arthur Pendragon | WikiShrek | Fandom powered by Wikia Justin Timberlake King Arthur "Artie" Pendragon is the current King of Far Far Away . These aspects are emphasized when Shrek announces to him that he is the next King of Far Far Away, and Artie begins to panic, believing that he is unsuitable for the job. However, Artie is noble, brave, and kind-hearted, and in the end, he courageously accepts the responsibilities of being King. Like Shrek, one of Artie's greatest fears is inadequacy, as they both mention having had difficulty in their relationships with their respective fathers. "dumped me at the school the first chance he got, and... I never saw him again"- Arthur on his Father As shown in the game ' Shrek the Third ', Artie is revealed to be superb sword fighter when necessary, and helps Shrek and his friends fend off The Evil Trees , and later, assists Shrek when Prince Charming treacherously tries to take over the kingdom and murder him. Artie likes rock music, evidenced after he leaves "Worcestershire," announcing, "I'm building my city people, on rock and roll!".

His name is derived from King Arthur, the legendary British king from a legend of the same name. Appearances Shrek the Third At the beginning of Shrek the Third, King Harold ( John Cleese ) falls ill as a frog and his ogre son-in-law Shrek ( Mike Myers ) and daughter Princess Fiona ( Cameron Diaz ) are next in line to be King and Queen of Far Far Away. Shrek declines, insisting that an ogre as king is a bad idea and that there has to be someone else for the job. With his final few breaths, the king tells Shrek that there is one other heir who can become the new King of Far Far Away: his nephew, Arthur Pendragon ( Justin Timberlake ). After a mournful funeral, Shrek sets out on a quest to bring back the new king, along with Donkey ( Eddie Murphy ) and Puss in Boots ( Antonio Banderas ).

The trio's journey soon leads them to Worcestershire Academy, an elite boarding school across the sea, where they discover that Arthur ("Artie", as he prefers to be called) is a scrawny 15-year old underachiever picked on by virtually everyone, from the cool kids down to the retainer wearing Dungeons and Dragons geeks. Far removed from the courageous legend his name evokes, Artie stands literally at the bottom of the high school food chain. He is constantly showered with insults, used as a punching bag by the school Jousting Team, led by the obnoxious Sir Lancelot (John Krasinski), and cruelly scorned by Guinevere (Latifa Ouaou), the school "Queen Bee." At the school pep rally, Shrek announces to the shock and horror of the entire student body that Artie, the so called "Mayor-of-Loserville", is the new King of Far Far Away.

Encouraged by his new title, Artie then delivers a heartfelt speech, berating all the high school students who were so cruel to him over the years (particularly Lancelot and the jocks), and professing his undying love to Guinevere, but Shrek stops him, stating, "You just overdid it." Later, on board Shrek's ship, Artie is only too excited to be on his way to the throne, until Donkey and Puss inadvertently scare him by talking about the grave responsibilities of being king. Terrified, Artie balks, and begins to steer the ship back. Shrek tries to convince him to stop, but the ensuing argument they have causes their ship to crash onto an island. They continue to argue, and Artie runs into his old magic teacher, Merlin 's hut. The wizard agrees to help them, but only after taking the "Journey to the Souls", since he and Artie have only recently been in a "self-destructive rage spat". Artie, upon looking into the soul mist, sees a father bird leaving a chick in its nest. The chick tries and fails to fly, falling. He quickly comprehends that the bird is his father, who left him.

Shrek and he have a heart-to-heart talk, where both explain the distance they had with their fathers (Artie having never known his, Shrek having been the near-victim of his dad's murderous attempts). They form an uneasy, understanding friendship, and Artie begins to accept who he is as a person, rather than who he is as other people judge him to be. Next morning, however, they are attacked by evil trees, and their leader, Captain Hook, announces that "King Charming" is managing the kingdom, and that Princess Fiona is in trouble. Artie, in an attempt at heartbroken youth, manages to convince Merlin to send them back to Far Far Away. Once they arrive in the city, they are almost immediately set upon by guards, who Artie manages to convince that Shrek is a star (of the play, featuring Charming performing Shrek's demise). They infiltrate Charming's quarters, and Charming, anticipating their moves, sends for guards and holds Artie hostage.

Shrek demands that he be let go, and (unbeknownst to Artie) lies to Artie, saying that he only brought him back because he "needed some fool to replace me, and you fit the bill, kid". Artie angrily shrugs off his captors and leaves. However, Puss and Donkey later explain that Shrek only said those things to protect him, and in doing so saved his life. Artie returns at the climax of the play, and convinces Hook and the other villains to give up their evil ways by saying what Shrek told him: Just because you may be treated like a loser, or a villain, it doesn't mean you are one. He helps Shrek defeat Charming, and once the tower is knocked on top of the prince, he takes the crown that falls, after Shrek gives him the choice to do so or not. Artie puts the crown on his head, and begins his reign. He is not seen again in the movie. Shrek Forever After Arthur is neither seen or mentioned once in the film, for unknown reasons.

In Rumpelstiltskin's new world of Far Far Away, he does not appear because in the alternate universe, he was never proclaimed king by Shrek. After the curse was broken, Arthur presumably took his place as rightful king of Far Far Away. After Shrek Forever After was released, Mike Myers stated Artie was in the film, but the scene was deleted. When the DVD was released, only a deleted scene called When Fairly Tale Creatures Attack, Gingy's Cookie Fight, and a hand-drawn scene of When Fairy Tale Creatures Attack were featured. Artie did not appear. Note: Artie was not written out, as they would give an explanation to why he was not in the film. His voice actor, Justin Timberlake, was unavailable to provide the voice as he was on tour. To focus on Shrek, Artie was not fitted to the plot. The deleted scene(s) he was in was: Deleted Scene 1: Artie is running the kingdom as Shrek invites him to the party. Though, he declines, saying that he cannot hang around ogres any longer (including his cousin, Fiona).

He manages to chuck Shrek out and banish them to the Happy Apple, where they will have their party. Deleted Scene 2: When Shrek is in the alternate universe, he travels back to Worcestershire to find Artie. He is indeed no longer the King but is his previous school-life self, being bullied and picked on. Shrek explains that Artie is the king of Far Far Away, but Artie, having no clue of who Shrek is, runs off (like he did in the third film) and in the assembly, he is hung by his shirt onto the scaffolding. Shrek is declined entry to the Assembly hall by the guard after failing to remember what Puss and Donkey did to him, such as kicking him in the hip and groin. Shrek then leaves. Deleted Scene 3: After Shrek returns to the real world, Artie enters claiming that he was wrong about Shrek and hereby grants all Ogres to live in Far Far Away as citizens, no longer as neglected monsters. Will Artie appear in Shrek 5? Also, he & Guinevere get married & have kids in Shrek 5?

2016-10-03T21:22:10Z It is not mentioned in the film and he was from a high school which is for teenagers between 14-18. 2016-09-23T14:06:54Z King Harold | Dreamworks Animation Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia [Source] King Harold is an anti-hero, turned supporting protagonist in the Shrek franchise . He was Fiona 's father, Lillian 's husband, Shrek 's father-in-law, one of the Fairy Godmother 's former henchmen, Puss in Boots ' former boss, and the former king of Far Far Away . Contents Shrek 2 When his daughter Fiona arrives at the castle with her new husband, Harold is surprised that they are both ogres and immediately despises Shrek. Harold had secretly made a promise to the Fairy Godmother that her son Prince Charming would marry Fiona. Harold hires Puss in Boots to assassinate Shrek. Harold then succumbs to guilt when he sees that Fiona is truly in love with Shrek and doesn't love Prince Charming.

Harold at first refuses when the Fairy Godmother asks him to give the love potion to Fiona that will make her fall in love with Charming, because he recoils from this invasion of her free will, but he is forced to acquiesce by some dark threat of disclosure; in the event, when Fiona states that she loved the old Shrek (rather the "new" one that Charming is pretending to be), Harold swaps the cup which contains the potion for his own, thereby consuming the potion himself. At the ball toward the end of the film, Harold protects Fiona and Shrek from a blast of magic from Fairy Godmother's wand. He is finally transformed into his original form of the Frog Prince when he is hit by the Fairy Godmother's magic wand. The wife seems not at all unhappy about this turn of events. After this, he apologizes to Shrek and accepts him into the family, his wife saying he is more of a man for accepting Shrek and Fiona's marriage than he ever was when he was actually human.

Shrek the Third Harold makes a very brief appearance in Shrek the Third as a frog king where he sadly dies of a sickness (it is stated in other materials, such as The Legend of Shrek , a storybook, that the transition between human to frog mixed up his age and accelerated the aging process). He tells Shrek on his deathbed that he and Fiona are next in line for the throne of Far Far Away, and Shrek refuses as he cannot imagine an ogre as king. The king dies after telling Shrek about Fiona's cousin Arthur. Shrek Forever After In Shrek Forever After, he appears very briefly in a couple of flashbacks; the first one shows him and Lillian about to make a deal with Rumpelstiltskin, but they break it off at the last moment. In the alternate reality of the second flashback, Harold and Lillian literally disappear after signing over the kingdom to Rumpelstiltskin. At the end of the movie the original timeline is restored, leaving the current time a year or so after Harold's death. However, there is a large painting of him in which the face moves, indicating that his spirit inhabits the picture.

Trivia The king's role was a partly reference to another character John Cleese once starred: Basil Fawlty from Fawlty Towers. The king once makes a reference to "his old war wound" to avoid his wife. This is obviously based on Fawlty's character, who often uses his "honorable war wound" (a shrapnel shot from the Korean War) as an excuse to rescue himself from displeasing situations. Also, both Harold and Fawlty are very cynical and sarcastic at times. It is possible that Fiona's curse was due to the fact Harold was actually a frog. Or maybe it was part of the plan for Charming to rescue and marry Fiona. Gallery SCREEN IT! ARTISTIC REVIEW: SHREK 2 "SHREK 2" (2004) (voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy) (PG) If you've come from our parental review of this film and wish to return to it, simply click on your browser's BACK button. Otherwise, use the following link to read our complete Parental Review of this film. QUICK TAKE: Comedy: An ogre must deal with attempts by his wife's fairy godmother and royal father at undermining his marriage.

PLOT: Now that's he married to Princess Fiona (voice of CAMERON DIAZ), swamp resident Shrek (voice of MIKE MYERS) would seem to be a happy ogre. Yet, not only must he deal with his persistent sidekick, Donkey (voice of EDDIE MURPHY), but also the fact that Fiona's parents, Queen Lillian (voice of JULIE ANDREWS) and King Harold (voice of JOHN CLEESE), have summoned them to their castle in Far, Far Away Land. Shrek is reluctant to go, but Fiona convinces him and soon they and Donkey set out on their long trek. While Shrek isn't surprised by his in-laws' reception, Fiona is upset that her parents are disappointed both by how she looks (she's in ogre form) and who she married. With pressure from Fiona's Fairy Godmother (voice of JENNIFER SAUNDERS) who wanted her son Prince Charming (voice of RUPERT EVERETT), to be the one who rescued and then married Fiona rather than Shrek, King Harold tries to do in the ogre.

He does so by hiring the feline assassin Puss in Boots (voice of ANTONIO BANDERAS). With a magic potion causing Shrek, Donkey and Fiona to become physically attractive, and Fiona being under another spell where she'll fall in love with the first person she kisses, the characters must overcome various obstacles as they try to prevent Harold, Charming and the Fairy Godmother from getting their way. OUR TAKE: 8 out of 10 The problem with expectations is that, well, they cause people to expect or anticipate something whether it's actually going to happen or not. It's usually a good thing when something meets or exceeds others' expectations about it. Yet, such success -- whether it's having a banner year selling real estate, setting the single season home run baseball record, or having a beloved, hit movie -- often generates two different sorts of expectations about any follow-up attempt. One is that people will automatically raise the level of success bar, thus making it that much more difficult for any ensuing effort or sequel to match what happened the first time around, at least in their eyes, hearts and/or minds.

On the other hand, others will have lowered expectations since they figure there's no way that the previous level of success could possibly be equaled. Both have likely been running through people's minds upon hearing that "Shrek 2" was being released. After all, the original 2001 film was a highly original, completely engaging and thoroughly entertaining offering that put a unique spin on all sorts of things ranging from fairy tales to pop culture and even some not so subtle jabs at Disney. I'm happy to report that while the Mouse House might not be as square in the filmmakers' sights, this sequel is every bit as good, funny and enjoyable as its predecessor. Granted, there's only one "first time" for such an offering and thus the novelty factor is thus missing. Yet, the picture obviously benefits from its familiarity in terms of story and character, and sports some new additions -- ranging from quite good to brilliant -- to what's arguably the best assemblage of vocal talent for any animated picture ever. As in all good fairy tales, the story -- penned by writer/director Andrew Adamson ("Shrek") and Joe Stillman ("Shrek," "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America") and J. David Stem & David N.

Weiss ("Clockstoppers," "The Rugrats Movie") -- is simple enough for young kids to understand, yet filled with all sorts of material aimed at older kids and adults. Like many a sequel, the film does retread some of the themes and plot elements from the first time around. Thankfully, the "been there, seen that" feeling isn't remotely distracting as the writers and trio of directors - Adamson, Kelly Asbury ("Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron") and Conrad Vernon (making his feature debut) -- have infused the film with plenty of humor, romance, action and satire. In fact, this is one of those rare films that'd you'll likely want to see again, not just because it's that good, but also so that you might catch some of the many cultural references that zoom by from time to time. Whether it's the various visuals spoofing Hollywood and tony Beverly Hills or all sorts of clever word play, the film certainly can't be accused of lacking wit.

From the obvious fairy tale riffs to bits featuring jokes or references to "From Here to Eternity," "Hawaii Five-0," "Rawhide," "Pretty Woman," "Mission: Impossible," Starbucks, Bob's Big Boy, Justin Timberlake, Bob Barker, Joan Rivers and the Red Carpet show, the TV arrest show "Cops," Frankenstein, Godzilla, "Flashdance," and, of course, Michael Jackson, the film is a smorgasbord of witty and clever satire. Yet, just like the first time around, what makes the film work so well are the characters. As the main plot loosely spoofs "Meet the Parents" (with Shrek having to meet his new wife's royal parental units who obviously won't be pleased with him or his appearance), we follow the characters as they go through the trials and tribulations of just wanting to be loved and/or accepted. That most of it's funny obviously makes it go down quite easily, but there's some real heart behind all of the hilarity and that's what really makes the film so engaging. To its credit, the characters are done so well that it's easy to forget that we're watching the output of a bunch of computers.

Yes, the film is technically amazing and the strides in computer-generated animation since the first film are easily recognized. Yet, it's the "human" characteristics that the filmmakers have captured that are the most magical. The looks and expressions on various characters' faces -- especially when they're not really doing anything active -- are truly priceless. Mike Myers ("The Cat in the Hat," the "Austin Powers" films), Eddie Murphy ("The Haunted Mansion," "Daddy Day Care") and Cameron Diaz ("Gangs of New York," the "Charlie's Angels" films) return to reprise those characters and are all just as good the second time around. John Cleese ("Die Another Day," "Rat Race") and Julie Andrews ("The Princess Diaries," "Victor/Victoria") join them playing Princess Fiona's regal parents, but I found them rather bland in comparison. That's more a fault of the script than their vocal performances, but King Harold is clearly no Lord Farquaad in terms of entertaining villainy.

Jennifer Saunders ("Muppet Treasure Island," the TV show "Absolutely Fabulous") gets the "meatier" villain playing a decidedly different fairy godmother, while some fun is had with Rupert Everett ("The Importance of Being Earnest," "The Next Best Thing") voicing her arrogant and vain son, Prince Charming. Much like Murphy's Donkey character in the first film, however, the scene stealer this time around turns out to be another sidekick. And he's Puss in Boots, the sword-yielding feline assassin hired by the king to dispatch Shrek. Terrifically voiced by Antonio Banderas ("The Mask of Zorro," the "Spy Kids" films) and featuring some of the more entertaining visual moments in the film (the big, pleading cat eye bits are fabulous), the character is an instant film classic and one can only hope he returns for the inevitable sequel. Yes, you heard me right. It's rare that I look forward to a first sequel, let alone the third film in a series, but this is one of those rare exceptions to the rule. Simply put, if you loved or at least enjoyed the original picture, this one isn't likely to disappoint.

The funniest, wittiest and most thoroughly enjoying film I've seen all year, "Shrek 2" equals its predecessor and also rates as an 8 out of 10. Reviewed May 13, 2004 / Posted May 19, 2004 If You're Ready to Find Out Exactly What's in the Movies Your Kids are Watching, Click the Add to Cart button below and join the Screen It family for just $7.95/month or $47/year

Question: Who is the voice of 'King Harold' in the film 'Shrek 2'?
Answer: JOHN CLEESE